but i'm not ashamed....

i've owned several manual cars including a 93 Eagle Talson Tsi to my previous car a 2006 Honda Civic Si.. however w/my 2013 Cooper S Coupe, i went the auto/sports paddle route.. As a person who drives in daily stop-n-go traffic, i love my auto w/sports paddles. I personally drive my car in MT mode each day and the first thing i do in my car is to hit the sport button and push down on my paddle so i'm in M1. Anywho, why is there the mantra of a person owning an auto transmission car being related to not being a true car enthusiast/purist? IMO, the coupe's auto transmission w/clutchless manual mode is the ideal driving setup. Traffic is easy w/o the clutch yet you get full shift control in MT mode up to redline?

Yes, i can take my auto to redline in MT mode in each gear but in auto non sport mode get better MPG than a manual. Also, most top end supercars usually use a double clutch auto paddle shifting setup. Anywho.. just thought i'd pose the question.

 

You don't have to justify your transmission choice to the forum masses. Whatever makes you happy, it's your car after all! I could be wrong but I thought that most of these "manual is the only option if you're an enthusiast!" was mostly confined to teenagers driving riced out shitbox "drift missiles," but that could just be my limited experience talking.

I probably wouldn't buy a traditional auto, but I've driven a few DSG/DCT equipped cars and I thought they were pretty sharp. I need a manual in my R50 because it's got zero power down low, so I need to wind it up to have any fun. If I was driving something with more power I'd probably care less.

 

I could never understand why people say that either.. All my cars have been manual. But when I ordered my 2013 R56 I went auto with paddle shifters. Hands down its awesome. I still have a R53 that is a 6speed manual. But the auto is just as good if not better for me. I am a true car enthusiast. A purest car driver. I would never let a transmission or person define what type of driver I am. I still run my old mustang at the muscle car shoot out at BIR. While I originally had a manual in that I now have an automatic beefed up in it. Why did I change it?? Well I wanted to win..lol.. And thats just what I did the following years.ha ha. But I will say this, manuals and autos have there place but it should not define a person. A real true purest/enthusiast should have both!

 

Mine is automatic.

I drive in traffic as well. About three hours round trip daily stop and go. I have had manual cars too but I am too old to be shifting all the time. Love the car and it has those Paddle Shifters.

I really need to read the manual and figure out how to work them. They look so intimidating. Just drive in automatic and then Sport sometimes to hear the backfire

 

There was a time when "foreign cars" equipped with an automatic were pretty dismal. Or domestics, for that matter. 2- and 3-speed "slushboxes" that were ill-matched for performance driving.

Now: 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-speed automatics. DCT and other designs that eliminate a torque converter. Exotics offered with clutchless designs only. And increasingly, engineering solutions that offer computerized control to the point where you'll need to buy the automatic version if you want "the fast one". Watch "Fifth Gear" and their segment on the Ferrari F12; sounds like a F1 soundtrack: instant upshifts, blips on downshifts, etc.

Where there's flak on driving an auto, I think people are remembering the olde days of Borg-Warner 3-speeds in Volvos and such. 2-speed Toyoglides. It's different now.

 

Mine is also an auto, and mine's a non-S. I have no problems with acceleration, lack of power, etc. I keep it in sport mode all the time. This is my third MINI, and the other two were manuals. With my commute in stop/go traffic, the auto is much better. Plus, my wife does not like to drive a manual, so this allows her to drive my car.

The other lesson I learned occurred when I broke my left foot four years ago. My MINI at that time was a manual, and since I could not put pressure on my foot, I couldn't drive the car for 5 1/2 months. My mother was still living at the time, and agreed to switch cars with me for that time period. She's gone now, and if that were to happen again, I'd be screwed with a manual. As I've gotten older, I've realized that we need to make choices at times based on what could potentially happen in the future, so I'm happy with my choice of an auto.

I'm not sure why there is so much anti-auto hostility here. There also seems to be an anti-Countryman (which is what I have now) and anti-"Justa" attitude here, which is pretty off putting. We should be celebrating all MINIs/Minis, whether two or four door, front or all wheel drive, auto or manual, S or non-S, fixed roof or convertible. My MINI is just as good as everyone else's!

 

You're fighting against 50 years of car culture. Those ingrained perceptions take a long time to change.

 

I have an auto with paddles and wouldn't want it any other way. I do wish it was a dual clutch transmission though. 1st to 2nd shift are glacial.

And the cost of replacing a clutch, ouch!

 

When I bought my R53 I wanted nothing but manual, I was raised with manuals and my last one was 15 years ago and I missed that connection with the car that the manual gives you, I do have another car that is automatic that I use every day, here in NYC is a must. Ninth ink that a MINI is the perfect car for a Manual transmission but that doesn't define who you are. Drive what makes you happy.

 

I like my auto just fine. Even in non-sport mode, that paddle at your thumb is an instant "move it" button. Nothing like the feel of a power-on downshift moving you through traffic or anywhere!

 

my mini is manual, but i have a daily driver/beater that's an auto and i love having it. just start it up, don't care about warming up the car, don't care about any dings dents scratches, just start and go. so yea. i dig automatics lol

 

My next Mini will be AT. My wife can't drive mine, and although I don't drive in traffic I'm sure the AT with paddles (which cost extra in the F56 btw) will be just fine. Drove a JCW Coupe AT recently and it was great.

 

I've been on several car forums over the years where a lot of the manual transmission 'boyz' really said nasty things about any one driving an automatic. It's refreshing to see the people on this forum showing more respect to each other despite the differences. I tip my hat to all of you.

 

Sorry but I think it's sacreligious to put an automatic in a mini.

 

There is always 1 (or 12 sometimes here). Would you say that to an amputee's face who wants a MINI? Someone who needs hand controls or a person with knee problems and can't be bothered with the problematic clutch of a MINI that can fail in less than 15k miles?

I have had 3 MINIs so far, 1st was an auto (never driven a stick more than in a parking lot so never thought about manuals), 2nd MINI (as wife took over the first) was a stick and the first time I truly drove a stick was after I bought it, and now my current MINI is an auto again.

I see the merit in the connection and control argument, but it doesn't always work like that for everyone. What might be a better thought is less fun or silly, but sacrilegious is a bit harsh IMO. Maybe I would have just ignored this post, but coming from a person with just 2 posts; careful getting down off that high horse.

 

There would be some people that do require an automatic. I do understand that. I have been driving manual for years and changed to an automatic about 8 yrs ago. It lasted about a month. It was like point and shoot and driving was very different. There was no connection with the car as you put it. I soon went back with a manual.

 

If you are comparing your manual to the old 'slush-box' automatic I think you have a valid point. However, most cars today with automatics are far improved from those days gone by. With today's automatics you have as much control of when you up/down shift as you do with a manual. Many of today's automatics will even rev match when you down shift and do it far more efficiently than most manual drivers. The only difference today between a manual and most automatics is the third pedal. On top of that you won't be concerned about replacing the clutch at some time in the future.

Don't mis-understand me. I have nothing against manual transmissions. I've owned many in the past. Among many others I've had a manual Mustang, Corvette, Miata and Porsche 911. My last car, a '13 Scion FR-S was a manual. It's just that the automatics have gotten themselves to a point where they've all but made the manual obsolete. I can't help but think Ferrari knows what they're doing.

 

I feel very connected to my car, even with the auto. A MINI is a drivers car to its core. From road feel to steering input responses to throttle and brake input and engine and exhaust note, I am most definitely connected to the car. Not having to shift it doesn't make it "point and shoot". It is far from a transportation appliance, and I am always very much aware of what is going on with it.

And, for those who feel it is "sacreligious" to have an auto in a MINI, there were actually auto equipped classic Minis too.

 

Mine's a manual. My kids don't drive a stick. So it keep them away, and me happy!

 

Drove many a manual car in the old days. Glad to see so many like the automatic.

Just like driving the S verses the Non S. Try a manual verses the automatic. With the Paddle Shifters sounds like the perfect compromise.

My commute can be two hours of sitting in traffic that moves at a speed no faster than 20 mph. Lots of stop and go. Not fun. And if it was better I would have considered a manual as I agree they really are fun.

Beats the old days of shifting on the column Or the Push Button transmission on the dash. OK, I am very old. But I never had to stand in front of the car and crank it to start

 

Up until I bought my Clubman, I had always had small,quick cars with a manual. 1972 MG, 1984 Rabbit GTI, 89 Honda Crx Si, 00 Turbo Beetle. When we bought the MINI, I got the auto because the wife wanted to drive it, also was tired of shifting in traffic.

I haven't missed it one bit. In sport mode using the manual feature, I have all of the control I want or need. As far as the argument concerning control with a manual, if that were the case, why would Formula One cars be going to semi-auto transmissions? Maybe because they up-shift and down-shift faster than a human can.

I understand the "being connected to the car" idea. There is a lot of fun to be had rowing through the gears yourself. But from a strictly performance point of view I don't think it holds water to say that you lose something by owning one of the new automatics.

 

Jeez, you need to get your facts straight. As is well documented here, all classic Minis:

- were manuals
- had large center speedometers
- were Coopers
- had round air vents
- had the window controls in the middle
- there were no larger minis such as the countryman, traveler, etc.

 

LOL! And don't forget the Moke. That didn't happen either.

 

My knee will occasionally lock when trying to depress the clutch and it was getting worse (and dangerous) - Doctor advised an auto or an operation.
Guess what.....I don't regret it one bit, what with the amount of traffic nowadays it just takes all the stress out motorway hold ups. The difficult bit was finding anything sporty with an auto box.
This is my 3rd auto (the other two were non-mini) but first with paddles and I love them - you have complete control and it makes open road driving real fun.
It annoys me when people criticise a good auto -they are not the slush boxes of years gone by.
And don't forget you will never equal the published 0-60 of your manual car whereas I will hit it every time. Just kidding but an element of truth in there.... :-)

We also have a DSG and while the speed of the gearshift is awesome it is a bit "strong" when it comes to manoeuvring and you need to cover the brake pedal.

 

I've been reading NAM since I got my coupe a couple of years ago but this thread inspired me to sign up and chime in.


I also opted for the automatic. Being older and slightly decrepit, I wasn't sure my back would handle the strain of using a clutch in stop-and-go traffic but the coupe is a blast in manual mode, esp with the choice of floor or paddle shift. I still sometimes wonder if I should have gotten manual but then I drive, right foot on gas, left foot on brake, stick shift at lower speeds, paddle shift when things get interesting, and it's just one big driving fun-fest!